Judge orders collapse site preserved

A Philadelphia judge on Friday ordered the city to preserve the site of Center City's deadly building collapse so experts can examine it for lawsuits by two woman injured by falling rubble at the Salvation Army Thrift store.

Common Pleas Court Judge Ellen Ceisler also directed that any debris removed from the site be preserved for inspection by engineers hired by the plaintiffs.

Some building pieces were removed on Thursday by members of the police Crime Scene Unit.

Ceisler said the engineers should be allowed to examine the debris at the site once it is made safe.

In the meantime, they can photograph and videotape the site from a safe distance, she said.

The order was made on emergency motions by lawyers for victims Nadine White and Linda Bell.

"We want to get to the scene with our own experts to determine exactly what happened," said Larry Bendesky, one of White's attorneys.

The store collapsed Wednesday when a wall from an adjoining building under demolition tumbled on it, killing six people and injuring 14 others.

The building under demolition was owned by Richard Basciano, who was represented at the hearing by lawyer Peter Greiner.

No one appeared in court for the demolition contractor, Griffin Campbell.

The existence of Bell's lawsuit was not known before Friday's hearing.

White, a Salvation Army store clerk who filed suit Thursday against Basciano and Campbell, was trapped beneath the rubble for more than 10 minutes before a Philadelphia firefighter rescued her, attorney Robert J. Mongeluzzi said at a news conference.

A mother of three, White was treated Wednesday at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and has since been released, Mongeluzzi said.